As Maya reached over to pour an vintage Cabernet Sauvignon into the glass of Mr. Zhang, one of the visiting delegates from Shanghai, Richard Vance leaned back in his leather armchair, a patronizing smirk playing across his lips.
Vance had spent the last twenty minutes attempting to impress his Chinese guests with loud, exaggerated stories of his financial conquests, but his guests had remained politely reserved, conversing quietly among themselves in rapid, low-toned Mandarin. Vance, unable to understand their conversation, felt his control over the table slipping.
He needed a target. He needed to reclaim dominance over the room.
His small, icy eyes locked onto Maya’s name tag.
"Excuse me, girl," Vance said, his voice cutting through the soft background jazz of the dining room.
Maya paused mid-pour, topping off the glass precisely at the three-ounce mark without spilling a single drop. She straightened her posture, holding the white linen napkin gracefully over her forearm.
"Yes, sir? How may I assist you this evening?" Maya asked, her voice calm, clear, and perfectly neutral.
Vance gestured broadly to his guests, then pointed a heavy, gold-ringed finger at Maya. He leaned forward, raising his voice so that neighboring tables could hear every word.
"My friends here are visiting from Shanghai," Vance sneered, a cruel glint in his eye. "And frankly, I’m tired of trying to guess what they're saying. I bet you don't even know what language they're speaking, do you?"
Maya’s expression remained an unreadable mask of professional courtesy. "They are speaking Mandarin, sir. Specifically, the Northern standard dialect."
A subtle flicker of surprise crossed the faces of the Chinese delegates, though they remained silent, watching the interaction unfold.
Vance let out a sharp, dismissive bark of laughter. "Oh, wow. Look at that! You recognized the name of the language! Give the girl a medal." He turned to his associates, slapping his hand onto the white tablecloth. "You see this? Everyone’s an expert nowadays."
He turned back to Maya, his voice dropping into a mocking, theatrical tone. "Tell you what, sweetie. Since you're so cultured... I'll make you a deal. Right here, in front of everyone."